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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22660714">Gunpowder</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/CROSBYCE/pseuds/CROSBYCE'>CROSBYCE</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Kingdom Hearts</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Kingdom Hearts Fusion, Game: Kingdom Hearts III, Other</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-03-17</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-04-28 15:21:27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,369</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22660714</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/CROSBYCE/pseuds/CROSBYCE</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“Who needs a keyblade? A giant stick won’t solve any problem. Sometimes you need a bigger bang"...</p><p>*This work contains violence, profanity, and some suggestive themes</p><p>Writer: CROSBYCE<br/>Fandom: Kingdom Hearts<br/>Type: Fanfiction<br/>Genre: Action, Drama, Suspense<br/>Characters: Kairi, Sora, Riku, Axel, Aqua, Mickey, other KH characters</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Kairi &amp; Sora (Kingdom Hearts), Kairi/Riku (Kingdom Hearts)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Power</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Keyblade Graveyard. The place itself was bad enough. Yet, Sora was forced to fight off Saix and his companion. Even though he had Kairi on his side, it wasn’t enough. One strike from Berserk was all Saix needed to subdue the two keyblade wielders. The battle was almost over. Axel was down, Kairi and Sora felt hazy, and there was no other obstacles. But then, his companion stopped him from finishing the guardians of light, whispering their names over and over again. Axel recognized the voice. It was Xion.</p><p><br/>
Tears started to drip from his eyes. After all he had to endure, he finally found one of his lost friends. Xion cried as well, shaken by her fragged memories. Saix attempted to kill her, but he is struck down by Roxas. He was revived by Sora’s power just in time. Sora and Kairi regained their strength and healed Axel. All together, the guardians liberated Saix from his duty. <br/>
<br/>
</p><p>But their victory was short lived. Xemnas, angered by failures of his soldiers, decided to take the matter to his hand instead. He unleashed everything he got toward Xion. Roxas and Sora managed to guard her, but it left Kairi in the open. Xemnas quickly took a grab at her. Not being able to move her right arm, the princess struggled while Sora rushed toward her. As Xemnas was about to move out, she remembered something...</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Remember. When you get caught, use this. Don’t worry, you can grab it with your left hand. Just make sure you don’t point it toward yourself or you’ll get hurt. A lot. It’s really easy. Simply point at your enemy and pull the trigger. You don’t have an infinite supply in one pass, so make it count. And one more thing. Listen carefully, this is very important. This is your last resort. You can’t use this unless you really have to.</em>
</p><p> </p><p>With her left hand, she reached to her inner pocket and pulled out a handgun. She pointed at Xemnas and pulled the trigger. A loud bang echoed around the walls. A flash and powder dust forced Kairi to close her eyes. The first bullet hit Xemnas’s chest. He started to bleed, feeling a sharp pain he hasn’t had for a long time. He could not believe that the princess could do so much damage. As he was about to end her life, she started to shoot more bullets with her eyes closed. Somehow, all bullets hit Xemnas, some on his limbs and some on his torso. The thirteenth and final bullet struck right between his eyes, splitting the skull wide open. His brain was splashed everywhere. Others witnessed the chaos and they had no words. <br/>
<br/>
</p><p>When Kairi finally opened her eyes, she found herself free. She took a glance at her friends that were all in shock, especially Sora. The gun sound had her eyes temporarily deaf, so she could not hear what they had to say. Then she felt something dripping from her face. It was blood. She then turned her focus to Xemnas. He was clearly dead. His head was unrecognizable and bullet wounds were everywhere. It was a horrifying sight for everyone else. The princess, however, was unusually calm and even close to unshaken. Sora immediately rushed to hug her while she was soaked in blood. He kept asking if she was okay but she did not listen. All she could saw was her dead foe and the empty handgun which was stained in blood and gunpowder.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Aftermath</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>-Destiny Islands-</p><p> </p><p>Things weren’t the same after the war was over. Xehanort was defeated by guardians of light, everyone got out safe, and Sora finally became a proper keyblade master. Nevertheless, the brunette could not shake the image out of his head. He never liked Xemnas in the first place but it felt wrong to see his arch enemy die in gore and blood. He kept wondering when and where Kairi got the gun in the first place. Staring at the sunset on top of his favorite tree, he kept repeating questions through back of his mind. <br/><br/></p><p>Kairi sat next to him, wondering what Sora was thinking about. ”You’re not worried about us not being together, are you?”, the redhead asked, “Is something wrong?”.</p><p> </p><p>”Kairi,” Sora spoke out in low tone, “Who gave you that?”.</p><p> </p><p>”I... don’t know,” Kairi responded with her handgun out, “but he told me it’s important. He said I might die if I don’t escape Xemnas. So I had to use it. And now it’s smeared in blood”.</p><p> </p><p>”How can you be so calm about it?”, Sora beamed, “You killed him. King Mickey and Riku are considering giving you a long therapy session after what you did”.</p><p> </p><p>Kairi sighed in discomfort. She hated to admit her action was wrong-doing. In her mindset, she only did what she had to. Furthermore, not killing Xemnas probably meant her own death which would make Sora sad. Then she got her gun taken away by the brunette. <br/><br/></p><p>“I’m taking this to Cid,” said Sora, “I’m going to find out who did this to you, one way or another”.</p><p> </p><p>-Radiant Garden-</p><p> </p><p>“Okay, kid,” Cid grumbled, “I know, for a fact, that you would never carry this thing around, but can you explain how did this get into your hand? With blood stain?”.</p><p> </p><p>”Kairi got that from someone,” Sora answered, “Whoever had that knew what he was doing. He said she will die unless she uses it. So she killed someone. The head blew up and it was all messy”.</p><p> </p><p>Cid carefully collected a sample of blood into a small coal before cleaning up the blood. He then put on his latex gloves to pick up the handgun.</p><p> </p><p>”This is a Glock 21 chambered in 13 rounds of 45 ACP. Based on the powder type, ammunition is probably 230 grain hollow point manufactured in San Fransokyo. Quite a piece of work this guy did. Normally, the this amount of powder would shatter the slide, but this bad boy surely withstood it”.</p><p> </p><p>“So what does the hollow point do?”, asked Sora.</p><p> </p><p>”A normal pistol bullet, Sora, is rounded. It works fairly well, but it sometimes leaves a clean wound or go right through the flesh. But hollow point is empty on the center. And it tends to leave a bigger wound. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the reason you saw that head blow off”.</p><p> </p><p>Cid took a scanner and closely examined the exterior. There were multiple fingerprints and he eliminated recent ones from Sora and Kairi. The fingerprint was heavily damaged, indicating that the supplier knew the tracking would happen some day.</p><p> </p><p>”This guy sure is a skilled seller,” Cid was condescending, “burning fingerprints like this, he really meant one-way business. Whoever it was, he saw us coming from the start. Maybe he's a hardcore blackjack, or a gang leader from some place far away. The ammunition and the gun build, they're otherworldly. We can try to reconstruct the fingerprint based on certain fragments. I’ll call you back when it’s done. And please don’t let Kairi touch this thing again. Guns are not some toys you can play with”.</p><p> </p><p>Sora left Cid’s workshop to let him work on his analysis. His concern grew more as he thought of horrible outcomes he could’ve seen if Kairi kept using the gun. He internally screamed as his nightmares slowly filled up his brain. He wanted his friend to become a normal keyblade wielder. He wanted her to keep believing in light and distinguish right from wrong. He did not want her to become addicted to the feeling of cold steel fracturing flesh through thirty pounds of lead. He decided to go see if the redhead was doing okay. He had to personally see her well-being with his own eyes.</p><p> </p><p>-Radiant Garden-</p><p> </p><p>The gummi ship landed on the center. In front of the castle, Kairi just exited from her therapy session. Her hand was still stained with blood but she didn't seem to notice at all. She was unusually calm as if nothing happened with her. It made Sora uncomfortable. He could smell the blood from hundreds of kilometers away while his beloved had her nose blinded. Or maybe she did notice it and just did not seem to mind it at all. Either way, she was clear not well. </p><p> </p><p>"Kairi, are you okay?", Sora bluntly asked. Kairi did not respond for few seconds as if she was analyzing his questions. The truth was that Ienzo and Even thought about discharging her from the duty until they got her mind straight. Their therapy sessions mainly involved questions about the gun and how she got it in the first place. </p><p> </p><p>"I'm fine. Is there anything I can do for you?". To Sora's surprise, her voice was cold. The tension grew stronger. There was only the sound of violent wind and tumbling leaves from fall season. Her eyes were burning from deep hatred that was about to destroy, or kill, anyone who belittled her. The brunette was heart-broken. 'Face it. Your lover is gone', the voice started to ring in his ear. He didn't want to believe, but things were not getting any better. Therefore, Sora spoke to her one last time before they departed,</p><p> </p><p>"Kairi... Maybe you should get some rest".</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Transformation</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Laid off from her work, bombarded with questions, betrayed by her lover - Sora. The day could not get any worse for her. Everyone probably thought she was crazy. "She'll kill another person if we don't do something about it, don't let her take on any duty for a while, she can prove herself later". The anger boiled through her vein as if the blood was a hot gunpowder ignited within shell casing by trigger and hammer. She could explode any minute. If her radical decision represented bullet, then it was ready to fire. And it did. She has abandoned her keyblade. She decided to become someone she always wanted to be; strong, independent, and worthy. She no longer wanted her keyblade which other guardians of light have put their faith upon. She remembered the day Sora and Kairi crossed their keyblades, promising they will march on together. But the promise would be made later. For now, her focus was on getting her property back from Cid, even if it meant more criminal charges against her. </p><p> </p><p>Breaking into Radiant Garden, however, was more difficult than she anticipated. Cid and Yuffie put their corrupted defensive system back to the order. The princess was forced to retreat to the Garden of Assemblage to avoid getting fried from the beams. She wondered if it was her bright attire that got in her way. Then the mysterious man confronted her once again with a black suit on his hand. It was like he knew exactly what Kairi wanted. </p><p> </p><p>"You again? How did you where I was?", Kairi questioned the man. He had his hood up, but she could see his wicked smile that was awfully familiar. </p><p> </p><p>"Looks like you needed this," the man answered, "here, this is for you. It should fit you nice and tight. Don't worry, it's flexible, liquid armor layer is a thing nowadays. AND... the outer layer is a material similar to carbon nanotube, that shit will not get detected by Cid's 1000 degrees-Celsius frying ray. That will buy you some time to get back your toy. Make a good use of it, princess".</p><p> </p><p>The man left immediately after tossing the suit to Kairi. She had more questions in her mind, but she erased them as soon as she prepared herself to go dark. She took off her sleeveless hoodie, her square-patterned skirt, and her shoes. She was almost naked with only her bra and underwear. She did not enjoy her current state because she felt like some pervert was watching her through the camera. She quickly put her anti-thermal suit on. It was tight on her body in the beginning, but the liquid armor was flexible enough to make her comfortable. The design was different compared to her old attire except for the cat-ear hoodie. Her new suit was full of gimmicks; magnet-fingertip gloves, night vision goggles, multi-function sensor, and hacking device. But all Kairi was interested in was getting her Glock back. </p><p> </p><p>As soon as she stepped out, no rays were present. She was able to reach Cid's house within few minutes. She sneaked in to see Yuffie and Cid ranting about Kairi's gun. Yuffie was surprised to hear Cid's analysis since she thought Kairi was a princess who would not harm anyone. That stereotype pissed Kairi off. She wished she could pop Yuffie's head off as soon as she loaded her hollow point ACP bullet. When Yuffie and Cid went back to their beds, the lights were turned off. The princess slowly approached her disassembled gun and put it back with the blueprint Cid got from a firearm factory. "Finally", Kairi thought to herself and exited the house.</p><p> </p><p>The security system kicked in once again, but not by Kairi, but by a heartless monster. Without any keyblade, Kairi was forced to shoot her gun. The monster's head blew off and it made a loud noise. People began to wake up and their houses were lit up. Cid and Yuffie rushed toward the scene and Kairi barely escaped unnoticed. She had no heartless blob on her suit, but she desperately needed a way to silence her weapon. She began to dig through the restoration site to find anything that would fit her gun's threaded barrel. Without any success, she decided to leave until she saw a destroyed jet bike which ran in oil motor. Luckily for her, the oil can had just right threading to fit her gun. The new "suppressor" was down-right ugly and blocky. She could not see her sight with the oil can taking up its visual space. It worked, nonetheless, and she moved on. </p><p> </p><p>On her way out, she noticed someone pointing a pistol on her head. "Turn around, nice and slowly", it was obviously a man, but not the mysterious figure she saw earlier. She turned her head to see a gang member with a blonde hair and a big scar on his face. He was holding a compact pistol with a suppressor and a laser mount. Kairi was not afraid of the punk.</p><p> </p><p>"Go ahead", Kairi bluntly spoke out, "Shoot me. If you want. I'm sure you won't hit shit with that".</p><p> </p><p>Triggered by her bluff, the gang member pulled his shot. Kairi quickly dodged two bullets and the third one was blocked by her keyblade summoning out of nowhere. The man quickly ran away, knowing he will not win, but Kairi managed to put a hollow point bullet on him, amputating his left leg in a brutal fashion. He groaned and crawled away. Kairi shot few more rounds but they all missed thanks to the blocky oil can suppressor. She was forced to pin him down with her feet. "Tell your friends in hell that I'll kill all of you if you try to mess with me", Kairi whispered those words until he put a bullet on his head. After the kill, she picked up the new pistol. It had the same feature as her gun had. She soon realized the mysterious man stole her Glock from one of the gang members. The new gun had a proper suppressor, a laser mount, and same hollow point .45 ACP bullets. It had less capacity, but it felt much better in her hands. She decided to ditch the oil can and decided to use a proper equipment. Of course, she kept the Glock. She fled Radiant Garden and for the first time in a while, she felt proud of herself. There will be no one to stop her with the stealth suit she was wearing and she eliminated one of the gang members which could have harmed innocent civilians. She finally understood her role and determined to continue her path until the very end. She was transformed that night. She was now a princess who is not afraid to spill blood on her hands or to frighten others with her skills.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Happening</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Kairi was wearing her old attire when she got home. She could not wipe off her old blood stain but it had no impact on her nerve. She felt proud to have the stain. It was her badge of power and courage. Even if it meant she had to use an unfair advantage involving a gun and hollow point bullets, it was better than dying before she could actually fight. After all, Xemnas deserved to die. She only wished she could have done it sooner. She checked the mirror for one last time to see if there is a blood on her body. Then she stepped out of the bathroom to see Sora.</p><p> </p><p>"You came back," said Sora quietly, "how was your trip?". He was getting nervous. A heavy density of atmosphere was pressuring his shoulder and his soul simultaneously. </p><p> </p><p>"It was okay," Kairi answered in a dull tone. She poured the boiling tea in her cup. She started to sip every seven seconds while staring at the worrying brunette. "What?"</p><p> </p><p>"You left your keyblade when you were away. What's happening with you? I thought you wanted that, so you can protect yourself".</p><p> </p><p>The princess stopped sipping on her tea. His words got on her nerve. She was frustrated his inability to understand her feelings, even after she shared paopu fruits with him. "Sora, you're like a baby sometimes, you know that? Why do you think I left that in the first place? Ugh, don't you get it? Who needs a keyblade? A giant stick won’t solve any problem. Sometimes you need a bigger bang or some kind of radical idea-"</p><p> </p><p>"What, that meant killing Xemnas? Getting a gun from a strange man?! Is that it?!", Sora became furious. The thought of her becoming a monster and no better than heartless he fought for years, he could not stand it. Kairi read his thoughts.</p><p> </p><p>"I'm not like those dipshits, I know what I'm doing. You wanted Xemnas dead, too. Be honest, you wanted to kill him yourself. And this princess title, it fucking sucks. Your PAL, Yuffie, thinks I'm useless".</p><p> </p><p>"Where. Did you. Hear that?", Sora slowly questioned, suppressing his anger.</p><p> </p><p>"From herself, obviously. Anyone could hear that loud brat from hundred-meter radius." Upon hearing her words, Sora's eyes opened wide.</p><p> </p><p>"Kairi," Sora shivered in frustration, "Listen to me. There was an incident there. Someone died. His head was off. And Cid said the gun was stolen. Do you know anything about that?"</p><p> </p><p>Kairi immediately shook her head in denial. She clearly knew Sora would quarantine her if she accepted her commitment to the crime. She wanted to be free and do whatever she desired. The last thing she needed was Sora getting in her way. "No," Kairi abruptly answered, "I don't think I was there when it happened". It did not convince Sora, however, as he was doubting her sanity after what happened in the Keyblade Graveyard. It was his final straw.</p><p> </p><p>"I can't believe this is happening... I can't let you go out anymore, not like this. I'm asking the King to quarantine you until you're okay".</p><p> </p><p>Then Sora silently left. She could not believe this was happening, either. Now she has returned to a damsel in distress, which she hated to death. But her hope was not dead. She was going to figure out a way to get out. She was going to do whatever she wanted to do. She was not going to let the King or anyone getting in her way. But for the time being, all she can do was to clean the compact suppressed pistol she stole from the gang member. She took it out from the holster strapped on her right upper thigh. A drop of blood from the frame stained her skirt, but she paid no attention. She took a red towel and gently wiped away any dust or blood. She then took out the magazine to see no bullets. The gang member she killed was just bluffing. The princess scoffed in disgust.</p>
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